After the Night
by TheNightIsFading
Summary: A disease is raging across Ariu's homeworld. It is a strange disease which only affects adults. Ariu and her daemon, along with friends must journey to find Ariu's father with information from her prostitute mother.
1. Into the Flames

~Author's note~ Hello again everyone! I haven't updated any of my stories for a long time. I had bad writers block, and you know how that is. So I decided to write a new His Dark Materials fanfiction. If you read them, you'll know how childish and stupid my twenty originals were. Anyhow, please review after you read this chapter. If anyone likes it, I'll post another chapter. It does help me write faster.   
  
~Disclaimer~ I own the whole world. So you can't exactly sue me, since I own you, too. Seriously, I don't own Philip Pullman's characters.   
  
She stood out on the roof again, looking towards the water. It was far from the roof of her apartment, and hardly visible through the smog. It was a good day, and the girl could just see a glint of grey water near where the harbor would be if she could see it.   
  
She hated the view. Even though it was sunny, it was as if horrible choking fog never went away.   
  
"Ariu," the girl's younger sister called out, climbing up onto the roof.   
  
Ariu turned around, and sighed. "Lucy!" she snapped. "You know you aren't allowed up on the roof!"  
  
Lucy giggled, and waggled her four-year-old finger at her sister, sticking out her tongue. "'Nobody is allowed on the roof! You're breaking a rule!" She skipped about on the steep surface of the roof.   
  
Not for the first time, Ariu wished the manager would do something about the locks on the roof trapdoor. Even she knew that she shouldn't be on them, five stories above the ground. But the city was so crowed! It was the only place she could get any peace. And now her sister was ruining it.   
  
Exasperated, she grabbed Lucy's arm, and yanked it, causing her to fall down abruptly.  
  
"Let go of me!" the little girl yelled, beginning to cry.   
  
"Hush!" Ariu snapped. "Hush, if you don't want Luma to get out the switch."  
  
"Luma!" Lucy yelled. "Luma!" She called for their mother. "Lumaaaaaaaa!"  
  
"You'll get in trouble too, you know! Do you want me to tell Far that you like him?"  
  
Far was some boy Lucy liked.   
  
That comment shut her right up.   
  
"Fine," the little girl sneered. "I won't tell on you if you let me go!"  
  
Ariu took her hand off Lucy's arm. "If you tell anyone, I'll beat you up!" Of course it wasn't true, but Lucy didn't need to know that.   
  
"Hmph!"   
  
"Lucy!" Ariu cried out in shock. It had seemed like it had taken only a split second for the young girl to get to the edge of the roof. She dashed toward her sister, and reached out to grab her, when Lucy slipped and fell off the roof.   
  
"Lucy!" the girl's daemon yelled, reaching a giant bear claw down to snatch her up.   
  
When the little girl had been hauled back into the building, Ariu began to scold her.   
  
Half an hour later, two girls and two daemons walked down the rickety stairs to the floor of the apartment building in which they resided.   
  
The twelve-year-old girl sighed and hoped that she wouldn't have to baby-sit her sister that day. But if her mother got another "job", she would have to.   
  
The apartment smelled a bit rank, and there were strange sorts of stains in the corners, and watermarks on the ceiling.   
  
Ariu stomped into the small room she and her sister shared, and tossed herself down on her bed, about the only decent piece of furniture in the house. Her daemon sat on her pillow in the form of a penguin, and watched her.   
  
Ariu didn't mind her tiny apartment so much. It was a whole lot better than anything the other people in her stupid city had. The bad thing was that she couldn't accept living like an animal, holed up in a cage.   
  
Everyone else could.   
  
Especially her mother.   
  
Presently, Ariu went out into the living room, with the small window as the only source of light, smothered by smog. There was a note from her mother, saying that she was to watch her sister that day.  
  
Everyone in their building knew what her mother did for a living. It wasn't anything good or noble, but it made money, which was pretty much the only think people cared about in Crapville. Which, in case you can't tell, was Ariu's name for the place.   
  
She could still remember when her classmates had found out what her mother did for a living. Ariu had to close her eyes and count to ten, as the anger swept through her. She hadn't even known it was bad then.   
  
She attened the School of the Mind, where students learned to read and control minds, and various other types of magic. It was very exclusive, and the only way you could get in was if you had a family member who had graduated. Ariu's older cousin had graduated a few years before, so Ariu had the opportunity to attend. And it wasn't at all cheap.   
  
The girl had jumped at the chance to learn to read minds. And she couldn't wait to learn the other subtle arts. But school hadn't been very eventful at first. All they learned in the first term was the laws of magic, and many confusing sayings. However, it seemed to be worth it. Anyone attending the school lived in the dorms during term, and it was worth any amount of work she did at school not to have to live in Crapville.   
  
And you can imagine how her mother's profession had been discovered in a school where the older students were reading minds.   
  
Ariu shook her head and looked out the small window. She could see a narrow alley way between her building and the one next to it. In the alley, a lump lay under a blanket, moving slightly.   
  
She yanked open the window, and, grabbing her mask, leaned out the window.   
  
"Get up! Get up, you bum! Get yourself a home!" The bum ignored her, so she threw a newspaper at it, until it stood and trudged away.  
  
"That was mean," her daemon told her, looking up at her, from her spot as a wolf on the floor.   
  
"I know," Ariu said, not sure if she should feel bad or not. She believed that anyone who was poor could get help. No one really had much money those days, but there was no reason to be homeless! "But I'm sure they don't have enough feelings to care."  
  
Although the girl and her daemon, Aruin, were linked through their minds and souls, they didn't always share the same opinion. But both of them knew that no one could convince either of them of something they didn't believe. It didn't always stop them from trying though.   
  
The girl began to pace through the small room. Back and forth, as Lucy watched them from the dingy sofa. Finally, the daemon suggested that they go outside.   
  
"Sure." Ariu agreed readily. She was so bored that time was stretching on forever. She looked for Lucy, who had gone to watch the television in their Luma's room.   
  
She pushed the lock on the outside of the door. She had been locked in there before when her mother had visitors over. Then she left the apartment, making sure to lock up before she went.   
  
Half an hour later, she walked on the pier with a group of her followers. She was very popular in her area, and that caused kids to follow her around. That was all right. She liked these ones.   
  
One of the boys took of a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and each of the five children took one.   
  
Ariu tried not to cough as she breathed. She never really inhaled, just let the cigarette go out eventually. No one really smoked now that so many people had died from it. And, as it happened with children, they began to speak about the topic that was most popular lately.   
  
"Did you hear about that sickness that's been going around?" Jenny, one of the children, asked. She was about Ariu's age, but since she didn't know, and Ariu couldn't yet read minds, they didn't know. Of course, they had all heard of the sickness, but they looked at her wide eyed anyway.   
  
Ariu smoothed back her long dark brown hair, and nodded. "Duh. Everyone has! My cousin had to treat somebody who had it."  
  
"Oh!" one small boy added. "My pa himself saw somebody with the sickness. He saw the person die. And everything."  
  
Ariu smiled slightly at her daemon as she thought of a plan to get the boy back for lying. She would tell him exactly what the disease did.   
  
"I'm so sorry! Is your father okay?"  
  
The boy looked slightly confused. "Yeah... He just saw it. Din't touch it or nothing."  
  
"And he's still alive! Jon, did he watch it on a movie? Because no non-magical person can be close enough to see a person with the sickness and still live. The bugs crawl through your stomach and organs. It tears up your heart, and eats the part that your daemon is in. The pain is so bad that you won't die. You'll wish and wish that you could die, because you can't talk to your daemon. It becomes just like an animal. It's like you'll be dead without your daemon. You'll wander forever, but your daemon will just be an animal and its soul will be stolen away. When you die, it won't be real death. You see, the disease has a mind of it's own. It's alive, and it thrives off loneliness and hopelessness." She smiled and looked around at her followers. "But you guys don't have to worry. It only affects adults." She was quoting her teacher for current events.  
  
Aruin sighed and looked up at his human part, and shook his wildcat head. But they were in the presence of other people, so he couldn't talk to her. Even as he looked at her disaprovingly, he moved closer to her.   
  
The four other children were clutching their daemons closer, and looked slightly afraid.   
  
The lying boy whispered. "Bless the Twelve."   
  
One girl scoffed. "Oh shut your trap, Ariu. You aren't all that. And besides, your mother and sister are non-magical." She looked smug.  
  
"Go ahead and don't believe me. Just don't feel sad at all anytime soon. It can only affect you if you're--" But the girl who had spoken out what broken the mood, and the other children were talking about something else now. Ariu threw her cigarette down and headed back through the city to her home.   
  
She was angry. Sure, she lied a lot more often than was normal for a girl of her age and size. Still, those children should have known when she was telling the truth. And that time she was.   
  
"Sheesh!" she said to her daemon as they walked past a busy store, and a fire truck roared past. "Aren't I allowed to tell the truth once in awhile?"  
  
"Well, if you didn't lie so much--"  
  
"Whatever," she mumbled, scowling.   
  
Another fire truck flew past, and the conversation was forgotten.   
  
"Sure are a lot of fires lately around here," the girl said, looking up at the sun, her black eyes glinting.   
  
"It's a hot summer," Aruin replied shortly.   
  
They lived in a medium sized city called Down Town. Most of the buildings in Down Town were old and drab and grey. And almost all of its citizens were poor. In school they called it the World, and the planet was called Earth. Sometimes it was also called the Globe. But many people didn't know what they world lived in was called. Since the planet had begun to die slowly, less and less people were educated. The queens and kings and governments were giving up. Even if the whole planet went to dust, they would have enough to live as royalty for the rest of their lives. After that? Who cared?   
  
"Oh Goddess!" Ariu yelled, shoving back the crowd of people who crowded around her building. It had been her building that was flaming. She tried to run inside. She had to get the money jar and all of her stuff. But someone pulled her back, and told her not to go in.   
  
"Let me go!" she screamed, biting the man that held her fiercely. Aruin was in the form of a lion, and he had run into the building. Ariu dashed in after him.   
  
"Hey!" a firefighter yelled, as the group of people clicked their tongues, and muttered words of pity. But no one followed her.   
  
It was strange being inside of a building that was engulfed in flames. The whole place felt like it was pulsing and breathing, and the heat was horrid.   
  
Ariu was terrified. But she didn't want to be homeless. And the only way she could prevent that was by getting the money. She passed the elevators and ignored them. They had never worked, and wouldn't now.   
  
Instead, she dashed up the stairs. On the second floor, she was panting, and the smoke clogging her lungs.   
  
"What One!?" she gasped as a stream of water burst through the window and slammed into her.   
  
"I wouldn't think that it would be a good idea to curse the gods at a time like this," her daemon scolded. His lungs were smaller than hers, as he crept across the floor as a mongoose, but he could breathe all right as long as she did.   
  
Ariu stood, lifted him up and continued up the stairs, as they seemed to tilt. Now she could see fire at the end of a hall.   
  
She shivered, and felt the daemon move closer to her. Then she was on her floor, and the end of the hall was filled with fire.   
  
"No!" Aruin gasped, struggling to breathe through the thickness of the smoke. Ariu coughed and rubbed at her eyes.  
  
They had never been told to crawl during a fire, and not to rub smoke in their eyes.   
  
"Let's go back. Ariu, we might not be able to get back down."  
  
"You can--" she paused, feeling lightheaded. "Go--" She knew he couldn't and wouldn't.   
  
"Help me!" someone screamed. It was very nearby. "Help me!"   
  
"Hullo?" Ariu shouted, running into the room the voice came from.   
  
"Oh thank the Third, Ariu, is that you?"  
  
"Miss Hamilton!" the girl and daemon cried, racing over to the woman. Miss Hamilton was an author who had babysat Ariu and Lucy when they were younger.  
  
"What are you doing in here, child?" the young author asked. She didn't wait for an answer before she continued. "I need to find my manuscript."  
  
Her duck daemon waggled it's tail slightly.   
  
"You have to get out. The building is on fire."  
  
Miss Hamilton removed her glasses and wiped them rapidly on her blouse. "Don't try to tell me what I must do. This manuscript was my life. If I don't have it, well, I'd rather die."  
  
"But-- Come on. We only have a few minutes!"  
  
"I am not going until I find that manuscript," the woman replied, shoving one of her novels into her bag.   
  
Ariu screamed as a section of the ceiling caved in. "You're mad!" she yelled. "It only took you two weeks to write it!" She didn't know why she bothered. She had her own business to take care of. But she didn't want the weight of a death on her conscience.   
  
"I found it!" the woman screamed, startling Ariu. "It was in my purse. Now, I'll get out. Seeing as you are still in the building, you must be here to get something. If you want to get out safely, you'll have to run. If you lean out the window, they'll hold out a net for you. And don't leave your sister alone outside for too long. Someone will take her."   
  
Ariu's stomach sunk so rapidly she almost threw up. Her little sister was still locked in their mother's bedroom!   
  
Author's note~ I hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. The next chapter will be up in a few days. If you find any mistakes, just tell me, and I'll try to change it. Please review.   
  
The Twelve are the Goddesses they believe in, and each one has a special power, which I'll explain later. Thirteen is their brother, and he's like the devil, and is used as a curse. The Twelve are used more as surprise or alarm. There are other religions, but they aren't very welcome, and mostly live away from cities, or in their own cities in the mountains or other countries.   
  
By the way, this isn't in the past. They have cars and tv and stuff. 


	2. Sister

Lucy stood at the windowsill and looked down. It was looking smokier than usual. The little girl sighed as she had done at least six times that minute. It was getting hot, and here she was, locked in her mother's room. She had tried to call for her mother and sister, but no one had answered. Her daemon, Harlem, was in the form of a large bird, fanning her as sweat rolled off her forehead.  
  
"I am going to get Ariu for this," Lucy panted, aware that the air was starting to taste funny. She had to talk louder to hear over the sirens that were howling outside.   
  
Harlem looked down at her. "She'll only find some way to get us not to tell. She always does."  
  
"It's because she's a witch. Well, soon enough I'll be a witch, and she'll be sorry."  
  
Lucy coughed, triggering a coughing fit. The daemon looked around anxiously for some water.   
  
"You can stop fanning. It's no use." the girl could feel the daemon tiring as dust fell from the ceiling, and the sirens got louder.   
  
She walked over to the mirror, and looked into it, surprised to see that her normally brown hair was grey with dust, and her clothes looked dirty.   
  
She was scared and thirsty and tired and bored. And in her mind, it was enough to make her cry. But she didn't. She held back her tears, because she knew that if she started to cry, Ariu would catch her crying. And no matter how much she wanted to be out, she wouldn't give her sister the satisfaction of seeing her cry. It was the only thing she could hold over the older girl's head. Lucy had never cried in her life. Not even when she was born, or when she had broken her arm when she was three. And Ariu had always tried to make her cry, but it never worked.   
  
"What's happening, Har?" the frightened little girl asked, clinging to her daemon as he changed into a bigger and more protective animal and shook his head. He knew no more than she did.   
  
Both of them just knew that whatever was happening was bad.  
  
"Ariu!" the little girl yelled. She called for her mother. "Luma!" But no one answered her calls, and the air had turned grey. "I don't like it, Harlem."   
  
"I don't either. But we can't do anything. We can't climb out of the window; it's too small. We can't even get out of this room."  
  
"Why did she lock us in? What is wrong with her? Now that she goes to this school, she always locks me in here. She never plays with me anymore." In a corner of her mind, Lucy was certain that she was going to die. The Twelve must have been mad at her for going on the roof. It was wrong. Maybe-- she whispered a word of power-- they thought she had gone to the Thirteenth.  
  
Another thought hit her, and she gasped, which was hard, because there wasn't even enough air for normal breathing. When the coughing subsided, she said, "The Eleven and Ten must be angry with Ariu for going up on the roof. Something must have happened to her! Curse the Thirteenth!"   
  
Harlem paled even though he was in the form of a mountain cat. Even at such a young age, all children knew not to use the Thirteenth as a curse. It could call up the evil god, and he would take your soul and eat it. Lucy gasped, backing into a corner, and picking up a book to throw if the Thirteenth came. She didn't know what a soul was, but if the Thirteenth took it, it must be horrible.   
  
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry. Save me, Two and Ten. Bless the First! Bless the Second!" She had blessed all of the gods, before she began to feel really faint. She couldn't breathe anymore, and dropped onto the floor, wheezing as she crawled to the closet.   
  
"If anything ever happens, don't you dare forget to take Luma's money jar. And take the family pictures. Because the money can help us get a new apartment, and the pictures are like memories, only better. You wouldn't want to lose your memories, would you?"  
  
Lucy pulled out the jar and box, and crawled over to the door. Harlem trailed behind her. The words of her sister echoed in her aching head. Ariu was greedy and sometimes stuck up, and she had always been concerned about the thousands of dollars in the form of hundred dollar bills that they had saved up over the years. Their mother's family was wealthy, and although their mother would never accept money, they kept sending it. That went into the jar.  
  
The door felt burning hot, but her daemon butted it, using his rhinoceros form. Soon the door fell, and she clung to her daemon as it went up the stairs and out onto the roof. The air wasn't much better, and she couldn't see through the black cloud she had figured out was smoke.   
  
It was still burning hot, but she could feel water on the surface of the roof. So she sat down next to the door, and, leaning her head against her daemon, feeling very defeated. Together, they slipped into unconsciousness.   
  
Ariu reached her apartment, coughing. She and her daemon dashed through, and stared at the door, which looked as if it had been kicked out. Fire was reaching its long tongues through the ceiling, and she bent down as she searched the closet for her things.   
  
"Let's go," Aruin pleaded. "Come on!"   
  
"I need to get my things!" She was thankful she hadn't left her school things in the apartment. They were very valuable, and she doubted her cousin would give her anymore. She tried to go into her room, and found that the back wall of it was covered in flames. She grabbed some clothes, and her emergency bag, and all of her bath things. Shoving them into a large rucksack, she threw it over her shoulders.   
  
"Lucy!" she yelled, looking around for her. "Lucy!" The girl was gone. "Where is she? Did the firefighters get her?"  
  
Aruin said, "Use your powers!"   
  
Ariu closed her eyes half way, and reached out with her mind, for her sister's mind. Through her eyes, she saw black smoke around her and a door with water spraying off of it. Her sister's mind was going dim.  
  
It was hard to get to the roof, and several times, Ariu fought the urge to turn back and hope that someone else would get her. But she couldn't do that. She thought of her Luma. She would be outside, watching the fire, wondering where her daughters were. And surely the firefighters would be up soon.  
  
Her bare feet thundered up the stairs. She never put on shoes unless she had to, but now she wished that she had. The floor was burning her skin. Fire licked through the open doorway of someone's apartment, and she ducked under it, glancing at her watch as she did. It had only been five minutes since she had entered the building. And she hadn't stopped running. She was tired, and homeless, but she had to get to her sister and save her. Her feet and legs blistered as she ran through the fire to the roof door.   
  
The stair door was open, and Ariu threw it open and raced out across the surface of the roof, choking as smoke filled her lungs several times. She couldn't breathe at all, and she was retching. "Lucy," she tried to call out, turning around.   
  
She spotted the girl huddled over, clutching a daemon. "Thank the Two and Ten," she gasped, coughing. Lifting the dead weight up, she was thankful that she didn't have to carry the daemon too.   
  
Right as they got out of the building, covered in smoke and dust and filth, it began to collapse. Eyes burning, she dropped the girl, and threw herself down on the ground, cursing loudly.   
  
Why had this happened to her? She didn't do bad things often, and she had never uttered the name of the Thirteenth god. Tears flooded out of her eyes, and she screamed, almost drowning out the thunder of the falling building.   
  
Aruin howled next to her, looking at the building, which was still engulfed in flames.   
  
"Come back," she sobbed. "Come back..."  
  
In her delirium, she felt someone lift her up.   
  
And then everything went black.   
  
~So how did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think. I didn't like it. It was very boring. But I have the plot figured, and I know what's going to happen. There won't be any HDM characters involved actively in the story for awhile. 


	3. The Power of Goodbye

~Author's note~ Well, here's chapter three. Hope you like it.

"How could you leave your sister alone like that!?" the woman shrieked in a high pitched voice. "Don't you care about anyone other than yourself?"

Ariu's eyes opened slowly, and the bright lights burned her eyes. She blinked several times, and pushed herself up. Her luma was standing over her screaming. 

"Answer me you ingrateful child!" the mother screamed, smacking the girl. 

Aruin, the daemon hissed, and jumped in front of his person, as she tried to scramble out of the bed. 

How did I get here? Ariu wondered, as her mother took out one of her high heeled shoes and threw it with all of her strength. 

It knocked the girl over, and she screamed. "I didn't mean to! Help!" she could hardly make her voice go out of her throat, and every time she screamed, it made her throat and lungs burn like fire. 

Then she remembered. Fire... Did her mother think she had made the fire? Where was Lucy? 

Ariu began to sob and shake as her mother glared down at her, talking. But she couldn't hear it. She wouldn't listen. If her mother beat her, it wouldn't matter. She was beat almost every day. Because if Lucy was... She would rather die. No matter how much her sister annoyed her, she wouldn't kill her on purpose. 

"You stupid child! Don't you care about me? I was at work! I was trying to get money to send you to school and buy you clothes!"

Ariu had had enough. She was tired of her mother blaming her for everything. Maybe the dream she had just had was trying to tell her something. Luma was not a real luma; no mom should treat her child that way!

So she stood up, pushing her hands against the wall of wherever she was. Maybe a hospital? But she didn't know. And she couldn't think. She felt a pressure in her head, and her eyes widened. She began to feel hot, and there was something dripping from where the shoe had hit her. 

Aruin was in the form of a tiger, one of the many animals that had gone extinct in the past century. He would stand up for her, no matter what. Even if she was going to say something that would probably never be forgiven. 

The mother slapped Ariu again and yelled, "You awful child! You tried to kill my real daughter!"

"You were at work?" Ariu asked, glaring at her mother. This time she wasn't crawling away. She was moving closer. 

The dream had told her to do this now. But Ariu didn't remember dreaming. She just knew what she should do. No wonder her whole stupid shitty world was falling apart. Everyone treated everyone else this way. 

I've always been a leader, the girl thought as she took a step closer. Her face stung, but that didn't matter. I am not going to follow any longer!

"Interesting," said Ariu, "because I thought you had to have a job to go to work." 

Her mother's face was livid, and Ariu wasn't sure if she was imagining red eyes. "What would you know about anything, you little slut! I've been taking care of this family for ever, and you run wild in the streets, killing my good child! How dare you?"

Ariu was not a slut. But when her mother called her something like that in such a mean voice, it made her face turn hot and her eyes fill with burning tears. Aruin rubbed his head on her hand slightly, and she felt braver. 

"How could you call us a family!? You don't care about me! I'm just a babysitter for Lucy! I don't matter to you!"

She could tell that Luma didn't know what to say, and the part of her mind that wasn't bracing itself for the beating she would recieve, was satisfied.

Luma moved forward and kicked her daughter in the leg, and began pummeling her with her fists. 

Aruin howled as a wolf and growled at Luma's cat daemon. He couldn't attack her. 

"Let me go!" Ariu struggled. What sort of hospital was she in? Was she even in a hospital? Why did nobody hear? Her mother tried to cover her mouth, but jerked her hand away, with blood spilling from the wound where she had been bitten. The girl, who had fallen onto the bed, rolled over it, and stood on the other side. 

"Don't you dare touch me!" she gasped, holding her jaw, which ached, and plugging her nose with the other hand. "Don't you even come near me again! I hate you!" 

Aruin moved to stand in front of her, as she struggled to stop crying. All she wanted to do was collapse on the bed and bury her face in the pillow. 

But someone was pounding on the door, and she went to open it, as Luma banged on the walls, howling.

"Ariu!" Lucy cried, looked up at her sister, with tears in her eyes. "She hurt you again, didn't she?"

"I'm okay, Lucy," said Ariu, although she was really the opposite of it. She shut her mother in the room, and walked out into the living room. 

Which generally are not in the middle of hospitals.

"Where are we?" Lucy gazed around the large room, and sighed. "We live here now tempereallyly acause her friend has a house he doesn't use."

Ariu noticed how the girl said friend, and pushed her long brown hair back. 

"Listen, Lucy," she said to her sister. "I can't stay here anymore."

The girl nodded and looked up at Ariu with her large eyes. The tears lingered there, but they would never leave her eyes because she never cried.

"I'm coming with you," she said. 

Ariu started to shake her head, but she couldn't just leave her sister with their crazy, whore mother. 

"All right Get all your stuff. I'll go clean up. Where's the bathroom?" Lucy pointed. 

Ariu and her daemon found a pad of paper and a pen on a table near the telephone. She was still marveling at how big the house was. 

"Go check on Luma!" Ariu whispered as she began to write on the paper. 

Me and Lucy are leaving because you are stupid, Penny, and you are not a Luma. We have no Luma. Please do not look for us or your money, because I am reporting you. Good-Riddance.

Ariu.

Then she packed her stuff quickly, and took her sister's hand and disappeared into the night. 


	4. Dream Maker

Ariu drew her cloak closer to her body, and gazed down at the city of Down Town from the roof of her dorm. If the sun was visible, it would be setting soon, but it was just a yellow smear in the grey, polluted sky. Usually, looking at the city depressed her, but today, she was elated. Soon, she would be gone. She had finished her witch training, and she could get any job she wanted and do anything she wanted. She knew not exactly what she would do, but it was a great feeling to know she could do it. 

The city was getting worse. The pollution humans had been creating for years was finally killing people and animals. Or maybe something else was killing the people. 

See, Ariu was elated she would be leaving, but she was also confused. And she hated not understanding something. She, like almost every other Magician in the world, was wondering about the strange disease that was plauging the world. It only affected adults, and as far as Ariu knew, no one ever recovered from it. 

It hadn't reached Down Town, or even the country Down Town was in. Yet. The borders were closed, and the King and Queen and their families were safetly locked away somewhere the disease couldn't reach them. 

Ariu didn't have any adults that she would really miss when they died. Her cousin wasn't yet an adult, and Luma...Well, where Luma was, there was no need to worry about her. And she could take care of Lucy when her guardians died. They were legally in charge of Ariu and Aruin also, but they rarely ever saw them. 

No, she wasn't worried about the adults dying much. She was just scared of what would happen when all the children were orphans, and there was no power, no one who could fly the planes, or take care of the zoos. 

She imagined no one would be able to stand up and boss everyone around, so she would try to do it all herself. Queen Ariu. Hmmm. Nice ring to it. She could order all the kids around, and be their leader. 

Aruin shook his head and sighed. It worried him when she acted like that. She seemed out of touch, and she was brutal.

Then something strange happened. He had a strange feeling. He was taking his final form, he could feel that in a few seconds he would change, and he gasped, "I'm changing, Ariu!" 

The girl's eyes lit up and she grinned. But then something stranger happened. 

"That's not such a good idea, is it?" someone behind her asked. 

In the four years Ariu had gone to school, she had never seen anyone else on the roof. She looked behind her, and no one was there. 

Aruin hadn't changed; he was in the form of a big wolf, and his fur was standing straight. 

The voice continued, "If you really want to take over the world, your daemon will have to change forms, won't it." It wasn't a question. 

"Who are you?" Ariu wondered if the voice-- the girl's voice-- had read her mind, because she hadn't been talking. 

"Plus, it's not even such a good idea to try and take over the world today, is it? No. Even if you boss everyone around, they'll all still die." 

Oh Gods... Ariu realized that the voice was in her head. And that it was the same voice she heard in a lot of her dreams. Only this time it was real. 

"Hmph. You're right, except for the Gods part. But that is partially right, I suppose. I am the voice of your dreams."

The girl didn't know what to say. She couldn't see the person who was talking to her. 

"I was sent to help you on your...journey."

"What?"

"You're the Chosen One," the voice told her. "And stop looking for me. I'm right behind you, but you won't be able to see me."

Ariu looked behind her, and her daemon moved closer to her. "Chosen One?" Her voice wavered. 

"Yes, you are. Didn't you just hear me say that? But I'm not supposed to tell you anymore, except this: When you meet someone with my voice--this isn't my real voice-- they are going to help you with whatever you have to do. And also fhwgerhsagjafg akljaklrh sss...." her voice warped and trailed off, and Ariu jumped up. 

She rubbed her eyes and realized two things at once. First, she had been dreaming, and second, the disease had reached Down Town. 


	5. Oops Oh my

She stood in the darkness of her dorm room for a second. She couldn't hear any noise at all, which was odd. She didn't know how she knew that the disease was affecting people all over. But she did. 

Did anyone else know? 

Aruin was standing next to her, growling softly now. She was happy for the noise. 

"Shh!" she whispered. "Did you hear that?" 

There was a high pitched scream somewhere far off. 

"Yeah," he said. "It's coming from somewhere in the school."

They stared at each other in horror. 

"It could be the disease," said Aruin. 

"Yes," said Ariu, "but it could also be someone having a heart attack or a murderer." 

He nodded at her, and she ran over to the door, grabbing her anorak from somewhere. 

Then she cracked the door open and looked down the hall both ways. She didn't want to get caught. Although, if her feeling was right- of course it was- who would catch her. 

For as long as she had known about the strange sickness, she had wanted to be there to control everyone. But, as they slipped down the hallway, keeping to the shadows, she realized that she really wouldn't want to experience that. 

All of the wizards in the world couldn't help. She knew about destiny. It was how the religion that everyone except the Secrets, who studied ancient things, and the outcast people who lived on some island somewhere.

And as Ariu walked through the halls, she realized that she knew not where she was going, only that she would eventually get there. She also realized that she knew almost nothing. Sure, she went to a fancy school, and she was pretty smart, but she could have been twice as smart if half of her time there hadn't been spent complaining to her friends about it. 

She also didn't know about any other places on earth. She didn't even know the names of other countries. She knew they were there, but she had never even thought about them. 

She shook her head, and hoped that no one saw how messy her hair was. Maybe she was stupid, but compared to other people, it didn't seem so bad. 

After wandering around for almost the whole night, they had ended up nowhere. She and Aruin were standing outside the student Dining Room. 

That wasn't the weird part though. The strange part was that she couldn't remember how she had gotten there, and they were directly in front of the large doors. 

She shivered suddenly, and reached out to grab the doorknob. It was locked. Of course. 

She didn't know why she wanted to find the source of the sound. It could have been someone having a nightmare or anything. So why was it so important? Why are you here? the ever-present presence in her head asked. Why not just go back to sleep? She slid down to the floor, and passed out. 

She woke up to the sound of voices talking loudly, with her head tucked into her anorak hood. She thought that it was her roommate at first, and she closed her eyes slowly. 

"Ariu!" someone yelled, very near her head. "Are you okay?" 

She sat up very quickly, looking around. She hoped she hadn't drooled on her face. 

"What are you doing?" another voice asked. 

It was her best friend, Aaliyah, and their friend Ryanna.

They were standing near a woman, whom Ariu recognized as one of the kitchen maids. 

Aruin rolled over in his sleep as a fox, while Ariu nudged him until he woke up. She stood and stretched. Then she, shook her head, hoping that hood would stay on. Her hair must look pretty bad by then. 

"I was sleeping," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Well, it kind of was. The teacher looked disapprovingly at her, and moved to unlock the doors. 

"Anyway," she continued. "How many people have the disease?" 

Aaliyah and Ryanna stared at her. "What do you mean?" Ryanna asked. 

"Okay," Aaliyah laughed. "You must have been seriously having a dream!" 

"No," said Ariu. Then she realized that saying she woke up with a feeling sounded quite ridiculous. "I think--I have the


	6. Express Yourself

~Author's note~ Chapter six is in da mix! 

~Disclaimer~ Yeah...

The teacher stared at her, her eyes wavering slightly. "Who told you that?" she asked laughing nervously. "Because, you know, you really shouldn't believe things like that."

Aaliyah and Ariu stared at her suspiciously, but Ryanna sighed, and said, "Oh good! My parents live in the middle of the city!" 

Aaliyah looked at Ariu questioningly. 

"It's true though!" Ariu exclaimed. 

"No, it is not!"

Aaliyah interjected. "I believe it if Ariu is sure that it's true." 

"Hush, girl!" the woman said sternly. 

Aaliyah looked angry, and Ariu knew she had to say something to keep her friend out of trouble. Aaliyah had a problem with teachers and other authority. Ryanna just looked like she was about to cry. "Look, Mrs..." she searched for a name. "Finaley. I know it must be true, because--"

"My last name is Finolet. And how would you know?" 

It was getting too frustrating for her. Ariu knew that Mrs. Finolet knew that the sickness had reached the city as well as she did. But she was acting as if she were right. 

"Because it has! Look! I had a dream, and when I woke up, there was screaming, and we came down here to see what it was." She paused. "Eh... Uh. It seemed to be radiating from around here." 

"My quarters are just around the corner, and I did not hear any screaming." 

Ryanna bit her nail as she said, "But I did! I heard someone screaming. It sounded like a man, a bit like the principal, but since he was screaming, I couldn't tell." She winked at her friends. 

Ariu and Aaliyah looked confused, but Ryanna was good at listening and figuring things out, and they trusted that whatever she meant was important. 

The teacher turned red and looked flustered and angry. "It was not your principal screaming, if anyone was, which--" she paused for effect and looked at each of the girls. "--I seriously doubt." 

"Stupid," Ryanna whispered. 

Ariu thought she felt her jaw hit the floor, and Aaliyah's eyes stretched. 

"Pardon me?"

"You are stupid!" she said, louder this time. "What? Are you deaf now too?"

The woman's face turned white. She pointed her finger in the girls' face. "Don't you ever speak to any adult in that manner again!" 

"I don't like your attitude, ma'am." she said in a sugary voice. "Please don't speak to me in that manner again." 

The other three people were completely speechless. 

"I heard... Maybe this isn't true... but you and Principal Walters have been having a little affair and--"

"Watch your mouth!" 

"Ry--" Ariu said, grabbing her friend's arm. But Ryanna didn't notice.

"Watch yours. Since you're so up for lying, why ever should I believe you? Anyhow. Since you have such a close personal relationship with the principal, I am requesting an audience right here right now with him. Unless, for whatever reason, he can't be reached."

The teacher was completely enraged. "Wh--"

"What do you think I mean?"

Ariu and Aaliyah had no idea what their friend was talking about. Anyway, they were just so shocked that the girl was even talking back to a teacher. 

"I truly do not know where the Principal is... However, I am going to offer you all detention, so that you will be able to meet him."

Ariu gasped, because in all of her years at school, she had gotten away with no detentions. 

"Now," Mrs. Finolet said. "I am going to open the doors, if you'll excuse me. Breakfast needs to be brought in, and students will be arriving soon." 

As Ariu looked around, she saw that servants carrying serving platters were gathered nearby, silent, and with the eyes and tails of their dog daemons facing downward. 

"Can you imagine what it must be like?" Aaliyah asked her. "No freedom at all! I'd never ever let Baby sit around like that." 

Ariu looked back at them and smiled slightly. She hated how servants never talked back and didn't even seem to have minds, though, of course, they did. She agreed with Aaliy--that was no way to live. She couldn't even imagine not being able to talk whenever she wanted--she never followed the silent rules in class-- and how horrible to have to do whatever some rich person wished of you! 

"Yes. I shall never have servants."

But then they walked into the room, and the conversation was forgotten, as two loud screams filled the air. 

~Author's note~ Hi again everyone. I didn't drop off the face of the earth or anything. Just so you know.


	7. As we Proceed

Mrs. Finolet grabbed at her chest, pounding it slightly as if she were trying to get her heart to beat. Then she fainted, slamming her head against a table. 

Aaliyah's long nails were gripping Ariu's arm, and she gasped. Ariu herself was on the verge of screaming, as Ryanna began to sob and shriek at the same time. 

The servants began to flood into the room, and a few of the women stifled screams, and there was a retching sound that came from behind them, as someone ran for help. 

Ariu stared at the body ahead of them. It was quite obviously the principal of the school. Red blood was spilled over the floor, and the corpse seemed to be reaching out for something. 

"Oh God. Oh God. What do we do?" Aaliyah asked. "Oh my Gods!"

It must be the virus, Ariu thought. And most of these servants were adults. 

She turned around slowly, choking as she tried not to cry, and ran towards the door. Aaliyah, attached to her arm as she was, came with. 

"Everybody! Get out! It's the Sickness!" 

The servants looked around for a moment, before looking at one tall man, who nodded, and they all moved out of the room. 

"Wait!" Ryanna yelled. "All of you-- you can't leave! If you've caught it, you'll spread it around." 

She had stopped crying by then, and was sniffling slightly. 

Aaliyah, looking very worried, ran over to the door and pulled it shut. "Ariu," she whispered as they heard the sirens growing nearer. "Why were you sleeping here? Did you know?" 

Ariu shook her head. "No! Aaliy, I don't know what happened." She realized that the sirens had been going on for awhile, but they were just now noticeably close. "The sirens..."

Ryanna nodded, and looked around wide-eyed. 

Aaliyah gasped and yelled an inappropriate word. "We left her in there!" 

No one paid any attention to her as she began to pace back an forth as other teachers ran past and more screams and cries filled the air. 

The assembly later that morning, after the excitement had died down a little, was short and very to the point. 

Yes, the Sickness had reached Down Town. Yes, Principal was dead. But everything was alright. It was all under control and no one was going to die. Everyone here has magic. Try to find the cure and pray to the Twelve because magic people are the closet to heaven. Don't worry. And curfew is after dinner tonight and everything outside of the school grounds is out of limits.

"Yeah," Aaliyah muttered as they called out their thanks to the Gods. "Right. Like hell I'm staying here."

Ryanna leaned around Ariu, and said, "Yeah. I need to see my family." 

Ariu didn't say anything. She wanted to see her mother, because although she tried, she couldn't hate her. She didn't like being hit, and that had happened everyday for almost her whole life. Sometimes she thought that must account for why she had so much dislike for servantry.

"Let's go," Ariu said. She had to get Lucy anyway. 

The three girls, covered in capes, with their daemons trailing behind them, slipped through the woods for about half of an hour, and emerged in the outskirts of Down Town. It was about five o clock, and the sun was just beginning to go down, as they walked through the bad part of town. Which was pretty much all of it. 

Ariu was right. Most of the muggers and criminals were hidden away, and no call women hung their arms from the windows. The Sickness could get into houses though. They weren't safe. 

"Couldn't we have gone around farther?" Ryanna asked, clinging to Aaliyah. "I'm not an expert, but this isn't safe." 

Definitely not for Ryanna or Aaliyah. Ariu was much better off than them, all street skill forgotten. She was normal looking and sized, at least in her opinion. 

Ryanna had long bright blond hair, and sparkling blue eyes, and if the call girls were out, she would almost fit in with them. 

And Aaliyah had long black hair and green eyes, and had dark skin. They were both very pretty, and the men in this area looked at girls like them. 

"What are you looking at?" Aaliyah snapped at two men in their twenties who leered out of a car at them.

Ariu rolled her eyes, and even Aaliyah's daemon looked upset. "Don't look at them, you idiot," she snapped. "They'll-- Oh great. Look what you've done." 

The car turned around and stopped in front of them, blocking the street. Ryanna and Aaliyah were backing up, but Ariu smiled at them. 

"Hey ma," one man said, leaning out the window. She dropped her cloak and walking slowly to the window. 

"Hey papi," she whispered, looking into the car, and trying to avoid the man's eyes. "You got room for three more?" 

"Why?" The other man said. "You chicks need a ride." 

"Uh huh." 

"Then we got room." 

Ariu giggled and Aruin purred in the form of a kitten. "Okay. Let me talk to my friends!" 

She skipped over to Aaliyah and Ryanna who were looking absolutely horrified. 

"What are you doing?" Ryanna asked, grabbing her arms. 

"Getting us a ride." 

Ryanna's mouth dropped. "What?" 

"She got us a ride!" Aaliyah said. 

"It would take us hours to get there otherwise!" 

Ryanna looked sick. "I am not a whore!" 

Ariu yanked her cloak off. "You look like one!" 

She covered her short skirt. "No I don't. I'm not going." 

Aaliyah said, "Whatever. We'll leave you then." 

And Ryanna ended up sitting in the back seat of the car between one of the guys and Aaliyah.

Ariu sat in the front, flirting with the driver. 

The man next to her kept putting his hand on her thigh, and she kept fidgeting. 

"What's wrong?" he whispered. 

She shrugged. 

Ariu looked into the mirror. "Hey!" she said. "No services for free!" Then she glared at Ryanna in a way that said, we need this ride. "Hey, Liyah! Give him one of your famous massages."

"Okay," Aaliyah said. "Switch me seats."

Ryanna had always wondered what had gone one in that girl's past. She was way too wild and didn't care about herself much. 

And, as she often did, Ryanna wished she could trust her friends more, and be as brave as them. Of course Ariu wouldn't put them in a situation that would hurt them, but she couldn't trust that. 

Ariu gave her a smile as if to say don't worry, and then began to talk to the boy again. 

"Hey." The man looked out the window and whistled at a woman walking by, and Ariu had to try again. "Hey. Turn here. Do you know a woman named Candy Bar?" 

He said, "Nah. I know Candy Cane, and Candy, though." 

The man who was now hugging Aaliyah, who looked green, laughed loudly. "Candy Bar? Yo man! That lady is crazy. Oh man! She lives next door to me and I went over there to--borrow some... milk."

Ariu looked disgusted. "Well, she's my mother. We need to get there."

"Yes ma'am." 


	8. No More Heart to Bruise

Penny Sahren (sa-rain) trudged back and forth across the small one room apartment, and paused to stare out the window again. Her entire body was thin and small, and she looked young for her age and scared. She needed food and drugs, and how would she get them when the sickness was in the city? There were no customers, because everyone had been worrying about it for months, and the virus was said to be sexually transmitted. So she had no customers at all. 

Thank the Gods she didn't have her daughters to take care of. She had been so close, but the man she had been going to marry--for money, not love-- left her when he found out that she was a prostitute. 

Yes, she regretted her decisions. Oh yes! And if she could go back everything would be different. Penny was not stupid. She just made dumb decisions. She knew it tore Ariu up that she had no idea who her father really was. Ariu didn't know what her mother did was bad until she had told someone's parent about it once. After that, things had never been the same. She had always known that eventually that same thing would happen with Lucy and she would lose another of her children. 

She had nothing to look forward to except for whoring herself for twenty more years and never making enough money to do anything with. 

Hopefully Ariu had used the money for something good, like an education for Lucy. 

So , if she wasn't working, every night Penny sat, looking out the window through the smog to the few stars that were left and prayed. But not for herself. It was much to late for that, and she knew where she was going after she died. No. She prayed for her daughter. In the whole ugly world, Ariu was the one last beautiful thing, and that would not be ruined. And she prayed that someday everything she had done would be forgiven. 

She looked out her peephole, when she heard voices outside of her door. It was that handsome man from next door, who had once brought her a rose. 

And standing next to him--

"Ariu?" she whispered, catching her breath and yanking open the door. Because there was no way it could be true. She was not a psychic. "Ariu!"

The girl turned and looked at her. "Hello--"

And Penny burst into tears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!" 

Ariu and the other two girls standing nearby looked at her. "Hush up," Ariu snapped. "I am the one what should be crying! Get back inside. Aaliy, Ryanna, get inside. " They left the two boys outside and slammed the door. 

"What were you doing with those men? Oh God." 

"Nothing, Penny. I am not like you. We just needed a ride to get her from the School of the Mind."

Penny stared at her. "Baby... Please don't hate me."

"I don't hate people. I hate what they do. But you're my birth mother, and every adult in the city is going to die soon, and I had to say goodbye." 

Aaliyah noticed how an awkward silence was about to start. She said, "Hullo, Mrs. Sahren. I'm Aaliyah, and this is my friend Ryanna."

"Hello girls. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Fine." 

"So am I. My name is Candy, but you can call me Penny." 

Ariu tutted and sighed. "See? That is what I'm talking about. Your name is PENELOPE! Not Candy Bar!"

"Okay!" 

"Look," Ariu said. "I only need to have some questions answered. Like who is my father?" 

"Shit. I knew you would really want to know someday."

"Well?"

Aaliyah and Ryanna sat down on the window seat and watched. 

"The King. I was at the castle with the man I was working for at the time and the King hired me and well, it could have been the other man, but I had some of his Majesty's hair, and a DNA test." 

"You're a princess!" Ryanna exclaimed. Aaliyah glared at her. 

"A bastard princess. So I thought I'd never tell you." 

Ariu looked distraught. "Another lie! I hate liars!" She pushed back her hair with both hands and patted Aruin's head. "Okay. Okay. And Lucy's?" 

Penny shook her head and sat down on the floor. "No. I am not going to tell you. You are my daughter, Ariu. And it is not any of your business."

Ariu looked down at the floor, trying not to feel bad. This was the woman who had abused her for years, and she felt pity for her? "Do you know who it is?" She wanted Lucy to at least know who her birth father was.

"It was--"

Ariu looked at Ryanna. "Ry?" 

Ryanna concentrated for a second. "It was the same man," she answered, as Penny began to cry. 

"Please don't read my mind!" she moaned. "Stop!" 

All three of the girls looked startled. "I am so sorry," Ryanna apologized. 

"I'm a princess!" Ariu declared. "Let's go find my father!" 

Wait!" Penny gasped. "You can't. I am the daughter of a Duke, and when I had children with the king, no one care until the queen began to get angry. She said that the reason she couldn't get pregnant was because I stole his seed. So we were banished and they said they'd kill us if we ever returned to that kingdom."

"Was it a different kingdom?" Aaliyah asked. 

"Yes. Thilia." 

"Well," said Ariu. "Good-bye, mother. We'll be sure to visit soon." 

"Wait!" the woman exclaimed, but the door was shut in her face, and she sat in the dark shivering for a long time. 

"Well that settles it," said Ariu. "We're going Thilia to find my father!"

"We're what?" the other girls asked in unison. 

"After we visit your family and get Lucy." 

Ryanna's mouth dropped. "Uh-uh. No way, Ariu. I am not going to Litha." 

Ariu looked at her, then turned to Aaliyah. "What about you?" 

"Are you for real?" 

"Yeah. All the adults will be gone soon, and I've always wanted to get revenge." 

Aaliyah looked at her funny. 

"I've always wanted to meet my father, especially since the fire."

"Well," said Ryanna. "Bye. I suppose I'll see you at school tomorrow." 

"Bye Ry," Aaliyah replied. "See you." 

Ariu said nothing, but she didn't like it when people didn't do as she said. 

They walked down the stairs in silence, and Ariu and Aaliyah turned one way, while Ryanna walked by herself the other way. 

"Have a great time in Thilia," Ryanna shouted back. "Say hello to the king for me!" 

Ariu and Aaliyah stopped, because Ariu had no idea where they should go.

"We aren't really going to Thilia, are we?" 

"Of course we are." 

Aaliyah wasn't sure if they really would go, and she wouldn't put it past her friend. And if they were going? Well, she had nothing holding her back here, and she needed an adventure. 

"Well that settles it," said Ariu. "We're going Thilia to find my father!"

"We're what?" the other girls asked in unison. 

"After we visit your family and get Lucy." 

Ryanna's mouth dropped. "Uh-uh. No way, Ariu. I am not going to Thilia." 

Ariu looked at her, then turned to Aaliyah. "What about you?" 

"Are you for real?" 

"Yeah. All the adults will be gone soon, and I've always wanted to get revenge." 

Aaliyah looked at her funny. 

"I've always wanted to meet my father, especially since the fire."

"Well," said Ryanna. "Bye. I suppose I'll see you at school tomorrow." 

"Bye Ry," Aaliyah replied. "See you." 

Ariu said nothing, but she didn't like it when people didn't do as she said. 

They walked down the stairs in silence, and Ariu and Aaliyah turned one way, while Ryanna walked by herself the other way. 

"Have a great time in Thilia," Ryanna shouted back. "Say hello to the king for me!" 

Ariu and Aaliyah stopped, because Ariu had no idea where they should go.

"We aren't really going to Thilia, are we?" 

"Of course we are." 

Aaliyah wasn't sure if they really would go, and she wouldn't put it past her friend. And if they were going? Well, she had nothing holding her back here, and she needed an adventure. 

"Let's go get your sister."


	9. No More Drama

Ryanna Belvedere walked home quickly, sneering at everyone she saw, and thinking. 

She wasn't sure she believed in the Sickness at all. This... virus... thing, why did it only affect adults? Ryanna was naturally suspicious, and she could sense some sort of conspiracy. The Sickness affected daemons. Why was that? What was the difference between settled daemons and unsettled? Maybe another kingdom had sent the Sickness. Had anyone really died from it? She had no answers, but her head was filled with questions. 

After an hour of walking, she had seen less than a dozen people on the streets, but she had seen people moving behind curtains and looking out windows. Eventually, she reached her house, where an unfamiliar car was parked in the driveway. She ran up the drive, glad to finally be home, with her daemon behind her. She wasn't even really worried about what her parents would say to her being home. 

Ryanna used one of the keys she wore around her neck to unlock the front door and enter the house. The other two keys didn't unlock any door she knew of, but they were really odd looking. One of them was made of solid silver, with diamonds on the end, and the other was gold with little animals carved into it. In sunshine, the animals seemed to move. She loved them, even if she could never open anything with them. One morning, when Ryanna had been younger, she had woken up with one key clenched in each hand. When she stood up, she realized her feet were covered in mud, and the sleeve of her night gown was ripped off. 

Once she was inside the front hall of the house, Ryanna stood around for a minute. Her parents had never seen the skirt she was wearing, and she hoped they wouldn't think it was too short. It came down to the middle of her thighs, and was low riding, and her shirt didn't hide her midriff, but that was how she always dressed at school. Her parents disapproved of anything that showed off anything. They would call her a whore, as they had whenever she wore anything resembling normal. 

"I do not look like a whore," she whispered to herself as she walked into the large living room, wondering where everyone was. 

"Yes you do," Brian laughed.

Ryanna jumped, and glared at her older brother. "Shut up, jackass." 

He flipped his middle finger up from where he sat on the couch watching television. 

"Where are Luma and Father?" Ryanna asked, looking around the room, pushing her blond hair out of her face. "Did you hear about--"

"The Sickness? Yeah. It's all that's been on the news lately," the boy said. "They aren't hear, but Aunt Verone is here. She has it, but it's not contagious."

Ryanna gasped and sat down, clutching her chest. "Oh no!" Then she thought, how do people catch it if it's not contagious? It must be! "Is she all right? Can I see her?"

"She's okay now, but she will get worse. That's why-- well, they told me not to tell you." 

"What? How did they know I was coming?" 

Brian laughed, and rubbed his eyes. "They took attendance at school, and you weren't there. Neither were two of your friends. You know, the hot ones." 

She rolled her eyes. "You are so not smooth, Brian."

He rolled his eyes. "You are SOOOOOOOOO not SMOOOOOOTH, Briaaaaaaan!" he said in a high voice. "Like, oh my Godddddddd!"

"Whatever, fatass." 

"At least I don't look like a cheap whore!" 

"HEY! I am not cheap!" 

They both started laughing as their daemons wrestled. 

"Anyway," he brother said. "Where are your things?"

"What?"

"From school?" Ryanna looked confused. "Well, I didn't take them with me." 

"Well, since we're-- um-- I mean, Luma said to take you to get them, because you're um-- yeah."

"Tell me!"

"No." 

"Tell me!"

"Nope." 

"TELL ME!" 

"I CAN'T!" 

Brian's daemon, Sofia, who was a lioness, said, "Perhaps we should tell her. It is important." 

He sighed. "Okay. But if I get in trouble, it's not--"

He was saved by a little girl's voice yelling from the stairs. 

"Be quiet! You're waking up Luma!" the girl yelled. "Stupid Brian!" She looked like a little version of Ryanna, with the same blond hair and the same eyes and face, and, thought Brian, the same bad attitude. "Jackass!"

"Tamia!" Ryanna said. "Language!" 

"Ack! RYANNA! YOU"RE HERE!" Tamia, Ryanna and Brian's cousin flew down the stairs and into the girl's arms. 

"Who's being loud now?" Brian asked. 

"Shut up!" both girls yelled at him. 

"You!" he said back, knowing they would ignore him. 

"Oh Tamia. I'm sorry about your mother!" Ryanna said quietly. "Is your father here." 

"He went with your parents," the little girl told her, in a voice that said she was happy she knew more than Ryanna. 

"Hmmm. And where might they have gone?" 

Tamia laughed and wiggled her nose. "Ha ha," she said. "You don't know!" 

"Well then, tell me!" 

"They went to find you so we can leave." The little girl whispered, looking around as if it were a big secret. 


End file.
